Household aluminum foil crimper, sealer, and decorator



March 11, 1958 G. H. GARDNER 2,826,105

HOUSEHOLD ALUMINUM FOIL CRIMPER,' SEALER AND DECORATOR Filed Sept. 30. 1954 65 ,4 A mw IN VEN TOR.

United? States Patent HOUSEHOLD ALUMINUM FOIL CRIMPER, SEALER, AND DECORATOR Gaylen H. Gardner, Dallas, Tex. Application September 30, 1954, Serial No. 459,425 3 Claims. (CI. 81-15) This invention relates to a hand operated machine to be used in the home to seal or decorate household aluminum foil by a crimping process.

Aluminum foil of the household type, which is not laminated, has been employed for many purposes including the wrapping of foods for refrigeration and freezing, wrapping of foods for cooking, decorations, and numerous other purposes. In the use of this aluminum foil the user has folded and shaped the aluminum foil by hand which has invariably resulted in an ineffective seal and a messy appearance. In some cases such hand wrapping has required a great amount of foil in order to give the desired protection to the food. Even in these cases, tests have proved that often when foods are wrapped in aluminum foil and the edges folded over the seal is not always effective and will come apart.

Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a hand operated machine for shaping aluminum foil.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for crimping aluminum foil under controlled hand pressure exerted by an operator, such crimping giving a tighter seal than that obtained by the usual process of merely folding over the edges of the foil. As a result a person can seal aluminum foil tightly enough to prevent extensive losses through evaporation when foods are covered with aluminum foil for storage, refrigeration or freezing. It also prevents losses during the cooking process where foods are wrapped in aluminum foil for cooking.

Another object of this invention is to enable the saving in the amount of household aluminum foil used to wrap objects since this crimping and sealing operation will allow the user to complete the wrap and seal by using a smaller amount of aluminum foil than where an object is hand sealed by folding over the edges of the aluminum foil.

Another object of this invention is to provide a decorating tool for use on aluminum foil where the aluminum foil is to be used for party decorations and other decorative purposes.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a stiffening or strengthening process on the aluminum foil as a result of the crimping operation where the aluminum foil is first run through the machine and later used for specific purposes such as covering flower pots, lining baking dishes, etc.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hand operated machine for use in forming various receptacles from aluminum foil. In this respect, the edges of a piece of aluminum foil can be turned up and the said crimping and sealing machine operated around the top edges of the foil thus strengthening the edges of the foil and making a container to hold liquids and solids.

Another object of this invention is to provide a machine that will impart a variable depth crimp on the foil, said depth of crimp being determined by the amount of hand pressure exerted on the handles by the operator.

I attain the above listed objects and other objects of this invention by means of the device, described in the following specifications and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the hand operated household aluminum foil crimper, sealer and decorator of this invention.

Figure 2 is an end view of the hand operated household aluminum foil crimper, sealer and decorator of this invention.

Figure 3 is a view in perspective of the corrugated wheels which accomplish the crimping, sealing and decorating on the household aluminum foil, and shows said foil as it appears before and after being processed by these corrugated wheels.

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of the offset levers.

Referring specifically to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown the device of this invention which comprises the arms 1 and 2 pivoted intermediate their ends by means of the rivet 3. Wheels 4 and 5, having the corrugated surfaces 11a and 11b, are rotatably mounted on corresponding ends of the arms so that the corrugations will mesh together at point 9. On the other ends of arms 1 and 2 are shown handle 6 and thumb tab 7, respectively. Arm 2 is pivoted to arm 1 in such a manner that wheel 4 will drop away from wheel 5 due to the force of gravity when arm 1 is raised to a horizontal position as shown in Figure 1. Thumb tab 7 is positioned in respect to handle 6 so that operator, when he holds handle 6 in his hand, can place the thumb of that same hand on tab 7. Therefore in the operation of the device, the operator holds the machine, preferably in his left hand, by handle 6 and places left thumb on thumb tab 7 of arm 2. After inserting household aluminum foil between corrugated wheels 4 and 5 operator presses downward with left thumb on thumb tab 7 of arm 2 which causes corrugated wheels 4 and 5 to mesh at point 9 and to compress and shape the aluminum foil. Operator then rotates crank 8, preferably in a rotary clockwise direction, which causes the machine to move forward on the foil completing the crimping, sealing, decorating and strengthening operation. After completion of the crimping, sealing, decorating or strengthening process on the aluminum foil, operator removes thumb from tab 7 on arm 2 which allows arm 2 to fall free for the removal of the aluminum foil from the machine.

Figure 2, in addition to that previously described, also shows the offset portions 10a and 10b of the arms 1 and 2 respectively which are designed to allow the operators hand to remain parallel to the aluminum foil and still not contact the aluminum foil. This allows the aluminum foil to extrude behind the corrugated wheels without impediment.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the corrugated wheels 4 and 5 and also shows in more detail the design of the corrugated surfaces 11a and 11b. Corrugated surfaces 11a and 11b are beveled in such a manner that the aluminum foil will flow or stretch when under compression by corrugated wheels 4 and 5, and yet will not rip or tear under normal pressure exerted for effective crimping, sealing or decorating. While aluminum foil may be inserted between corrugated wheels 4 and 5 in single or multiple thickness, Figure 3 shows aluminum foil with edge folded to make a double thickness and illustrates the smooth contour of the portion 12 before passing between corrugated wheels 4 and 5 and the shaped portion 13 after the compression of the foil by wheels 4 and 5. 7

My invention is not limited to the exact form, construction, and arrangements of various parts or details thereof as herein shown and described, and I reserve the right to make all alterations necessary therein as fairly come within the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, as set forth in the following pages, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A household article for crimping household aluminum foil comprising: a pair of levers pivoted to each other intermediate their ends about a given axis; one of said levers having a handle on one end and the other lever having means on one end proximate to said handle permitting an operator grasping said handle with one hand to pivot said other lever; a first corrugated wheel on the end of said one lever opposite said handle; a sec- 0nd corrugated wheel on the end of said other lever opposite said means; said wheels being pivotally mounted for free rotation on a common plane and on different axes both parallel to said given axis; said wheels being arranged so that their corrugations mesh; portions of said levers between said Wheels and said handle and means each having bends, one closest to said Wheels being in a direction away from the plane of rotation of said wheels and another closest to said handle and means being in a direction substantially parallel to said plane; an intermediate straight portion connecting said bends whereby said handle and means on the adjacent ends References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 689,449 Zimmerman Dec. 24, 1901 1,528,178 Anderson Mar. 3, 1925 2,028,778 Hosmer Ian. 28, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 18,220 Germany May 31, 1882 23,092 Sweden Sept. 14, 1907 OTHER REFERENCES Product Engineering for January 1947, p. 101. 

